Safety fender or guard for automobiles and other vehicles.



E'. J GRAF.` SAFETY EENDEE OE GUARD EOE AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY Z0, i908 A,908,556 1 Patented Jan. 5, 1909,

ATTORNEYS.

A r. J. GRAF. SAFETY FENDER 0R GUARD FOR AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY'ZO, 1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

P. J. GRAF.

SAFETY FENDER `0E GUARD POR AUTOMOBILES AND OTEER VEHICLES. APPLICATIONFILED MAY 2o, 1908.

'Paened Ja11.5, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

A w w/TNEssEs Y l/vVE/vro @i Br ,4 TTOHNE K8 vUNITED STATES PATENToEEIYcE.

is to FREDERICK J. GRAF, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY FNDER OR GUARD FOR ,AUTOMOBILES AND OTHER. VEHICLES. 4

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

To all whom it may concern.' l

v Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. GRAF, a citizenof the United States,and residing at New York, in the-county of New York-and State of'NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SafetyFenders or Guards for Automobiles and other Vehicles, of which thefollowin is a specilication, such as will enable those s {illed in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same. v Y

. This invention relates to safetyfenders or gplards for use inconnection with automoes and other motor vehicles such as tramway carsand the Vlike and the vobj ect thereof provide-an improved device or'apparatus o this class whlch will prevent the serious and frequentlyfatal accidents resulting from a person beingstruck by an automobile orother vehicle, and with this and' other objects in view the inventionconsistsinan ap- Raratus of the class specified constructed asereinafter described and claimed. v

My invention involves a fender or guard frame normally held inaretracted positionA beneath the front end portion of the vehicle :bodyandV adapted to be projected by springs or other tensional devices, saidframe being also ada ted to be withdrawn beneath the front en portion ofthe vehicle body by a cablejconnected therewith and assing oversuitably. supported pulleys an connected with a drum supported beneathlthe vehicle body and having operating devices under the control ofthemotorman or operator'of the car, and devices for holding said frame inits retracted or withdrawn position and also under the control of themotorman or o said frame being also provided 4wit v cally movable springdepressed supports whereby it is capable under certain clrcumstances ofa slight vertical movement.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompavertinymg drawings form a part, in which the separateparts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference charactersin each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is a side view of anautomobile provided with my improved fender or guard,

part ofthe construction being in section,l

parallel tubular members c,

erator, s

view of a detail ofthe construction shown in Fig. 1, and looking in thedirection of the arrow a, Fig. 3a a front view of a detail of theconstruction shown in Fig. v1,v andlooking in the direction of the arrowc?, Fig. 4 a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modification, Fig.. 5a plan view of the main part ofthe fender or. the same etached and partof the construc-v tion in section, and ;-Fig. 6 a detail of theconstruction shown in Fig. 4f, and looking in the direction of the-arrowy.

In Fig. lfof the accompanying drawings, I have shown ata an'ordinaryautomobile rovided with the usual cooler a? below w ch is the usualfront axle a? with which are connected hangers b betweenwhich isdpvloied en er the operative part c of my improve or guard as shown inFigs. 1 to 3 inclusive.

The operative part c of my improved fender or guard as shown in Figs. 1to 3 in elusive consists of a -front forwardly and backwardly `movableframe c2 4and a `rear frame c3. The rear',frame c3 comprises atransverse rear end member c4 preferably tubular in form, and a fronttransverse member 05,' said membersbeing and the transverse rear memberc4 is providedwith end trunnions 'c7 mounted in the hangers b, and

the front transverse member c5 is provided with end trunnions t c8having screw' threaded bores c" adaptedto receive screws b2.

1 The side frame members a4 of Athe main truck or frame work of theautomobile are lprovided at their front' ends with pivoted angers d withwhich are pivotally connected con nectedl by ard shown in Fig. 4 butshowing V sleeves d2 in the lower ends of which are placed plungers d3,and. in the sleeves d2 are placed spiral springs d4 which bear on theplungers da, and the trunnions c5 of the transverse member' c5 of thefender or guard frame c pass through the lower ends of the plun ers f d3at d5,- an the. sleeves d2 are provide in the opposite sides thereofwith slots 'd6 throu h with t e plungers da, and said pins limit themovement ofthe plungers d3 in the sleeves d2.

The forwardly and backwardly movable part c2 of the fram'e c constitutesthe fender 4or guard proper and is composed of a trans-- verseirontmember e with which are, connected parallel rods e2 which enter andare movable in the parallel tubularmembers cf? of .the frame members c3,these parts being' telescopic in form and operation, and two which arepassed pins a" connected or more of the parallel tubular members c6 inthe rear part of the frame c are provided with spiral springs e3 whichbear on the ends of the corresponding rods e and normally serve to forcethe fender or guard frame member c2 outwardly or forwardly into theposition shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Two of the central parallel'tubular members c6 of the rear part c3 ofthe frame c are provided in their adjacent sides with longitudinal slotse, and the rods e2 of the front frame member c2 which pass into saidtubular members c are connected by a rod or bar e5 movable through. theslots e, and passin into the central tubular member c6 is a ca le e6which is connected with the corresponding rod e2 of the frame member c2as s own in Fig. 2.

The front transverse member e` of the guard frame member c? is providedwith a` cushion e7 of any preferred material, and the front portion ofsaid uard frame member is also provided with w eels or rollers e8 whichare adapted to bear on the round under certain conditions, or when t efender or guard frame is depressed by the movement of the vehicle or inany other way.

At a suitable point and preferably -centrall)T of and below the framework of the vehicle, and also preferably beneath or in front of theseata5 is placed a bracket or support j in which is mounted a drum f2with which the cable e is connected, and in the form of constructionshown, I provide a rod f3 for operating the drum f2, said rod beingmounted vertically over thedrum f2 and assing through the bottom of thevehic e in the. front of the seat a5. The rod f is provided lwith ainion]I4 at its lower end which meshes wit a gear wheel f on the shaftor axle of the drum f2, and the rod f3 is also provided at the upper endthereof with a wheel]f7 by which it may be operated, and by means of thesaid rod the drum f2 may be turned so' as to wind the cable e thereon,and withdraw the fender or guard frame memberc2 beneath the front endportion of the vehicle, in which operation the rods e2 are telescoped inthe parallel tubular members c and against the operation of the springsc3.

Mounted centrally of the transverse member c4 of the part c3 of thefender or guard frame c is a do g adapted to engage the cross rod or bare5 W en the frame or member c2 is drawn backwardly as above described,and connected with the dog g is a cord g2 which is passed over or aroundpulleys fand g4 and connected with o ne end of a lever g? with the otherend of which is connected a rod (/6 which passes upwardly through thefloor or bottom frame work of the vehicle in front ol" the seat a5 andis provided at its up er end cooler a2, and in this hold the lever g inthe osition shown in Fig. 1, in which position tii pro er position toengage ithe rod or bar e5 an hold the fender or guard Jframe niember c2in .its Withdrawn or telescoped position, and whenever'there is dangerof the vehicle striking a person or object ressure is ape dog g will bein plied to the head g7 of the ro g and the dog g is raised anddisengaged from the rod or bar e5 and the fender or guard frame ormember c2 is projected bythe s rings e3 and the person or object struckwil fall thereon and will be prevented from passing backwardly under thevehicle. I also place transversely of and beneath the cooler a2 or`between -said cooler, 'and the rear vpart o'f the vided with shields h2which may be secured to the frame work or truck work of the vehicle inany desired manner, and which serve to prevent a person or object struckas above described from coming in contact with said Wheels.

The operation of this apparatus, as described, and as shown in Figs. 1to 3 inclusive is as follows: Under normal conditions the cable e iswound on the'drumf2 and the front part of the main fender or guard c isdrawn back until the transverse part e-e7 thereof is closely adjacent tothe transverse member c5 with which the Jfront ends of the tubes c areconnected,y and also vclosely adjacent to and beneath the front end ofthe osition of the arts said front end portion oi) the main fen er orgluard frame is drawn out of the way and oes not interfere with theoperation of the vehicle. In this positionl of the parts the dog g isalso in engagement with the transverse rod or bar ci", and if at anytime an accident is imminent ror there is danger of the vehicle strikinga person or object pressure is applied to the'rod g", the dov' gisraised and the front part of the main fremder or guard frame isprojected by the springs e3 and the person or object struck will becaught on or will fall on said part of the fender or guard frame andwill be prevented from passing beneath the vehicle.

There is considerable space between the bottom of the cooler 0.2 and therear part of the main fender or guard frame, and a person or objectstruck might pass backwardly beneath thel front end portion of thecooler or partially so and might come in Contact with the front axle, orwith the front Wheels of the vehicle, but the supplcmenta fender h andthe shields h2 will prevent this result.

In the construction shown in Figs. 4 to 6 inclusive, I have shown amodification of my of which isshown, and in practice I secure to the oposite sides of the bodyor truck frame o the vehicle vertically arrangedbrackets or supports j* referably rovided with vertically arrange andparal el parts 7'5 between which the axle-j2 is placed, and connectedwith the front art of the brackets or supports j* are vertica lyarranged sleeves or casmgs 7' in the lower end portions of which areplaced plun ers j", andthe sleeves or casings j are provi ed with spiralsprings j? which normally serve to depress the plungers j?, -and saidplungers are provided .with

longitudinal slots j throu h which are passed are provided wit pins lcwhich are secure( in the sleeves or vplungers y7.

The lower end ortions of the phingers y`7 rollers k2 wh1ch extendtransversely beneath the front portion of the truck frame of thelvehicle, and secured to the battery frame or casing k3, in the form ofconstruction shown, are hangers ci in which are mounted two otherparallel rollers 7c5 similar to the rollers k2 and which lextend fromone of the hangers c* to the other transversely of and beneath the bodyof the vehicle. I also provide a main fender or guard frame m shown indetail in Fig. 5 and a side view of which is 'venin Fig. 4, and saidmain fender or guard )iname is composed of a front portion m? and a rearortion ma, the front portion being compose of a front transverse rod m,side rods-m5 and intermediate parallel `rods m arranged closely adjacentvand parallel with the side rods m5,'and the rear ends of theintermediate parallel rods m6 are connected with a transverse bar m7with which the side through hangers n2 rods m5 are also connected, andthe side rods .m5 are extended backwardly to form vguide rods mS onwhich are mounted spiral springs n, and the front part m2 of the fenderor guard frame m is movable between the rollers k2 while the backwardldirected rods m8 pass between-which andthe bar m7 the springs 1t areplac'ed.- The rear part m3 of the fender or guard frame m which isbetween the guide rods m8 is made up of parallel rrods n? connected withthe transverse bar m7, and a rear end transverse rod n4, and this art-ofthe fender or guard frame is movablle between the rollers f5 While theguide rods m8 are outside of said rollers and outside of the hangers orsupports 7c* in which said rollers are mounted.

`Placed vertically and in front of the seat o of the' vehicle Vis a rodo2 which passes down- 'which may be casings and limit the movement ofthe or handle o3, and said rod is provided at its lower end with apinion o4 as shown in-Fig. 6 which meshes with a gear wheel o5 on theshaft or axle of a drum o6 supported in suitable bearings o7 connected,in the form of construction shown, with the axle i2, but .supported inany desired manner.

A cablep is connected with the re'ar end of front end portion oi thevehicle body, andl in this operation the springs n are compressed aswill be 'readily understood.

A dogr 'is mounted on the top roller h5, and when tlyre fender or guardframe is drawn backwardly' as above described, the said do engages thetransverse rod m7- and holds said fender or guard frame in its retractedposition beneath the body of the car, and connected with the dog 'r is arod r2 which is connected with the rear end of a lever r3 supported atr4 and with the front end of vwhich 1s connected arod T5 which passes uthrough the bottom' of the body of the vehic e in front of the seat o,and the to end of which is provided with a head r6 belb s ring T7 whichnormally holds the dog'r in a epressed position, and in order to releasethe dog from the transverse rod or bar m7 of the fender or guard framethe rod is depressed and the springs n at once operate to roject thefront end of the fender or guard llame as shown in Fig. 4. v

In the normal position of the parts of this alpparatus the springs n arecom ressed and t e fender or guard frame m is rawn back until the frontend thereof is beneath' the body portion of the car, and the dog r is in4engagement with the transverse rod or bar m7 of said fender or guardframe.

in this position, and there is danger ol striking a person or ob3ect,the rod 75 1s at once l depressed' by the operator of the vehicle, the

doglr is raised and the fender or guard frame `projected as shown inFig. 4, and the person or object if struck will fall onto said fender orguard frame and will be prevented from passing beneath the vehicle. lIalso preferably place in front of the front axle i2 a ver#I ticallyarranged supplemental fender s conslsting of an o en work guard orscreen composed of any esired material, and this su w which is placed aIf at any. time, with the parts of the fender or guard axle. I alsoreferably connect with the front art of tIie truck or vehicle frame orwith t e su ports or brackets 3'4 wheel shields t which wil prevent aperson or obje tfrom 5 rolling off of the fender or guard frame, and

coming in contact with the wheels ja of the front axle, said shieldsbeing similar to the shields shownin Fig. 1, and either of these shieldsmay be of any desired construction and supported in any preferredmanner.

The form of construction shown in Figs, 4 and 5 is. best adapted for usein connection with tramway motor cars. The dog g in the constructionshown in Figs. 1 and 2 is rotatably mounted on the cross rod bar ormember c4L of the fender or guard frame, and in the construction shownin Figs. 4 and 5 the top roller ki is made of two parts mounted on a.central shaft, and the dog 1^ is rotatably mounted on said shaftbetween the separate parts of said roller les.

In the different forms of construction shown and described the dogs 1and g which hold the movable fender or guard frame in its withdrawn orrearmost position are operated by a vertical movable rod or bar passingthrough the bottom of the frame work of the car in order to release thesaid movable guard frame and allow it to be projected, but other formsof'apparatus or devices may be provided for operating or releasing saiddogs, said a paratus or devices bein under the control) of the operatorof the ve icle.A

In Fig. la I have shown a slight modiiica` 5 tion of the constructionshown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive in which the movable part c2 of thefender or guard frame c is shown inits withdrawn position, and inwhichthe said fender o'r guard frame is pivoted or hinged to chain or similardevice u by which the fene der or guard frame may be raised andsupported as shown in dotted lines in Fig. la, this construction beingparticularly adapted for use in the country where the roads are roughand uneven and where 'there is no danger of striking a erson when-thevehicle is in motion. In t is operation the screws b2 are `detached, theplungers d3 are discon- 50 nected from the fender or guard frame, and

the chain u is connected therewith.- It will also be seen that in theconstruction. shown in l of the drawing the fender or guard frame issupported beneath the axle a3 but under ordinary circumstances it willbe necessary to pivot the fender or guard frame in front of the axle a3as shown in Fig. 1a, as there is not enough room between saidfaxle andthe road surface under ordinary conditions, and when the form ofconstruction shown inFig. 1a is employed the supplemental fender orguard 7i shown in Fig. 1 will not be necessary.

My invention is not limited to the details the front of the axle a3, andI also provide a of the construction of the fender or guard frames c andm, nor to the particular means herein shown and described for operatingor withdrawing beneath the front part ofthe vehicle the said frames orthe movable parts thereof,and if desired an electric or other motor maybe provided for this purpose, and various changes in and modificationsof .these featuresl of construction, as well as ada ted to accomplishthe result desired, and

whi e I have shown the same applied to an automobile, my invention isnot limited to this use thereof, and the same may be applied to vehiclesof other kinds or lclasses and to tramway. cars if desired.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let- 1. A fender or guard for automobiles, mo-

tor street cars and like vehicles, .com rising a -frame supportedbeneath one end o the vehicle, sai frame being ada ted to swingvertically and to be projectedp forwardly of and withdrawn beneath thevehicle, vertically movable spring depressed devices for supporting saidframe, tensional devices for prov Jecting saidrfframe, devices forwithdrawing said frame comprising a drum sup orted beneath the body ofthe vehicle an provided with a rod which asses upwardly through thebottom thereoi and a cable connected with said drum and said frame, alocking device for holding said frame. in its withdrawn position, and aspring su ported bolt assing through the bottom-of t e vehicle an 1noperative connection with said locking device for releasing said frame.A

' 2. A fender or guard for-motor cars and similar vehicles, comprising aframe supported beneath one end of the vehicle, sald trame being adaptedto swing vertically, vertically movable spring depressed devices forsupporting said frame, a supplemental frame slidablyv connected with theiirst named frame and adapted to be projec'ted forwardly of thevehicle,'tensional devices for projecting the supplemental frame,devices for withdrawing the supplemental frame comprising a drumsupported beneath the vehicle, a ca ble connected therewith and with thesupplemental-frame, and a rod connected with said drum and passing upthrough the bottom of the vehicle and by which said drum may be turnedso as to wind said cable thereon, a locking devicey for holding thesupplemental frame in a Withdrawn position, and devices operated fromthe body of the vehicle to release said locking device.

3. A fender or guard for motor cars and similar vehicles, comprising aframe suported beneath one end of the vehicle, said rame being adaptedto swing vertically, vertically movable devices for sup orting saidframe, a supplemental frame s idably oonneoted With the Jfirst namedframe and adapted to be projected forwardly of the vehicle,tensionaldevices for projecting the supple mental frame, devices forwithdrawing the supplemental frame com rising a drum supported beneaththe veliic e, a cable connected therewith .and with the supplementalframe, and a rod connected With said drum and passing up through thebottom oi the vehicleandby; Whichrsaid drum may be turned so as to Windsaid cable thereon, a lockingdevice for holding the su plemental framein a Withdrawn position, evices operated from the body of the vehicle torelease said locking device, Wheel guards supported at the o positesides of the first named frame, an a supplemental transverse guardmounted between said frame and the body portion of the vehicle.

1n testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of the subscribing Witnesses this 16th daylof May i908.

. FREDERICK J. GRAF. Witnesses:

`M. E. DooDY,

C. E. MULREANY.

